Police, community and calendar briefs for May 15, 2014

Published: Wednesday, May 14, 2014 at 10:04 p.m.

Last Modified: Wednesday, May 14, 2014 at 10:04 p.m.

A woman placed on probation in February for reckless driving involving DUI was arrested Tuesday on half a dozen charges, including DUI.

Officer Dan E. Wright of the Ocala Police Department, who arrested Karli Jo Heath for DUI in December, also arrested the 21-year-old on Tuesday.

Wright was called to Shuckers Oyster Bar at 408 SW 16th St. about a possibly impaired driver. He saw a white Jeep in the back parking lot, but no one was inside. He waited for someone to get in the vehicle, but no one did. As he began to drive away, he saw the Jeep pull out of the parking lot and followed it. The Jeep was drifting from side to side, and the driver abruptly changed lanes and pulled into a gas station parking lot, according to Wright’s report.

Wright also pulled into the station and talked with Heath. He detected alcohol on her breath, according to the report.

Heath denied drinking alcohol and refused to comply with the officer’s commands to not leave. She kicked the officer several times on his right shin and declined to perform a field sobriety exercise. She was arrested and taken to the Marion County Jail.

Among her charges are battery on a law enforcement officer, violation of driver’s license restriction (business purposes only) and DUI.

Court records show Heath was charged with DUI on Dec. 28, 2013. In late February, the charge was reduced to reckless driving involving DUI and she was given one year of probation.

Autopsy: No foul play in death of MCSO worker

An autopsy on a Marion County Sheriff’s Office employee who died suddenly over the weekend did not find anything unusual.

Ocala police officials said it does not appear that Brian C. Gibson, 30, died from any foul play. They still are awaiting a toxicology report that would help determine an exact cause of death.

Gibson worked in the Emergency Management Bureau. On Saturday, he helped an employee open a department vehicle. Later that day, a member of the SWAT Team arrived and saw that Gibson’s car was parked in a spot normally reserved for SWAT vehicles. That deputy notified another deputy — the person Gibson had helped earlier — who got a set of spare keys to move the vehicle. When they opened the car door, Gibson was slumped over in the driver’s seat.

The viewing for Gibson is from 5-8 p.m. today at Banks, Page-Theus Funeral Home in Wildwood. His funeral will be held Friday morning at First Baptist Church of Wildwood.

Convicted felon admits to sex with 15-year-old

A convicted felon who admitted to having sex with an underage girl was arrested Tuesday and charged with two counts of lewd and lascivious battery.

Detective T.J. Watts interviewed the 15-year-old girl on Monday, and she told him that she and Paul Duska, 24, had consensual sex at her residence twice, mainly initiated by her. She said he was aware of her age, according to a Marion County Sheriff’s Office report.

Detectives Watts and Zackary Hughes found Duska, who was taken to the Marion County Sheriff’s Office. Duska admitted having sex with the teen twice. He was arrested and taken to the Marion County Jail for booking.

State records indicate Duska, 24, has served time for battery, burglary and trafficking in stolen property. He was released from prison in January.

Pair hurt in crash last week still hospitalized

A man and woman injured in a two-vehicle crash last week remained hospitalized Wednesday.

Suzanne Santangelo, spokeswoman for Ocala Regional Medical Center, said the two are still in critical condition.

Erik Stephen Harker, 39, and Carrie Ann Hujus, also 39, both of Morriston, were taken to the hospital May 8 after a traffic accident on U.S. 27 shortly after 9:30 p.m. Florida Highway Patrol Troopers said they were on a 2012 Moti moped moving slowly south in the outside lane on U.S. 27 near Northwest 115th Street. A 2012 Kia Forte driven by Justin Keith Smith, 26, struck the back of the moped, ejecting Harker and Hujus onto the grassy shoulder. Neither person was wearing a helmet, which is not required by law.

Neither Smith nor his passenger, Karl Robert Dewane, 29, both of Kissimee, were injured.

COMMUNITY

Ribbon cutting for new trail planned for Friday

The Florida Department of Environmental Protection’s Florida Park Service will host a ribbon-cutting ceremony to celebrate the opening of a multi-use trail and bridge in Dunnellon. This new trail and bridge will bring the state within two miles of connecting the Withlacoochee State Trail to the Marjorie Harris Carr Cross Florida Greenway.

The ribbon cutting ceremony will be held at 10:30 a.m. Friday off County Road 39, south of Dunnellon, off U.S. 41.

Event signs and parking will be visible from U.S. 41.

For more information, call 236-7143 or visit http://goo.gl/vd5dA7.

Artists needed for sculpture competition

The city of Ocala, in partnership with the Appleton Museum of Art, Fine Arts for Ocala and the Marion Cultural Alliance, is issuing a call to artists for the second annual Ocala Outdoor Sculpture Competition at Tuscawilla Park.

The competition is open to all artists age 18 and older who are working in North America. Each artist may submit up to three works suitable for public outdoor display. Entry deadline is July 31.

The 10 artists whose work is chosen for display at Tuscawilla Park will each receive a $1,000 honorarium. For more information, visit www.ocalafl.org/outdoorsculpture.

Senior Center planning trip down the St. John’s

The Ocala Senior Activity Center will host a Barbara Lee Luncheon Cruise from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. June 18. Cruise in a paddleboat down the St. John’s River and enjoy lunch, live music and dancing. The cost is $67. For more information, call 629-8357.

Horsemanship camp being offered in June

The Marion Therapeutic Riding Center is offering Camp Caballo for Kids, a summer riding and horsemanship camp for riders age 8 to 13.

The camp will be held 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. June 16-20 and June 23-27 at Marion Therapeutic Riding Center’s Greenway location, 6850 SE 41st Court, Ocala.

Camp fees are $500 for both weeks or $300 for one week.

For more information, call 732-7300, email information@mtraocala.org, or visit www.mtraocala.org.

Flags to fly half-staff in honor of peace officers

By presidential proclamation, Americans are asked to fly the American Flag at half-staff for Peace Officers Memorial Day.

Each year, America sets aside a week to salute the men and women who do the difficult, dangerous and often thankless work of safeguarding our communities.

During Peace Officers Memorial Day and Police Week, we celebrate those who protect and serve us every minute of every day, and we honor the courageous officers who devoted themselves so fully to others that in the process they laid down their lives.